Impact of Plant-Based Meat Alternatives on the Gut Microbiota of Consumers: A Real-World Study.

ABSTRACT: Eating less meat is increasingly seen as a healthier, more ethical option. This is leading to growing numbers of flexitarian consumers looking for plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) to replace at least some of the animal meat they consume. Popular PBMA products amongst flexitarians, including plant-based mince, burgers, sausages and meatballs, are often perceived as low-quality, ultra-processed foods. However, we argue that the mere industrial processing of ingredients of plant origin does not make a PBMA product ultra-processed by default. To test our hypothesis, we conducted a randomised controlled trial to assess the changes to the gut microbiota of a group of 20 participants who replaced several meat-containing meals per week with meals cooked with PBMA products and compared these c

SUBMITTER: Toribio-Mateas MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8465665 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature